Tuckers Solicitorshttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com
Wed, 13 Dec 2017 17:07:39 +0000en-UShourly183169020Seasons Greetings to my Valued Clients and Festive Contact Hourshttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/seasons-greetings-valued-clients-festive-contact-hours/
Wed, 13 Dec 2017 17:07:39 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4908Seasons greetings! As the holiday approaches I would like to take this opportunity to inform valued clients and potential new clients that I can still be contacted by telephone between 8am and 8pm each day on 07715 005953 or 07798 753720. You can also call 0161 2334321. I understand the urgency of many of my... Read more »

]]>Seasons greetings! As the holiday approaches I would like to take this opportunity to inform valued clients and potential new clients that I can still be contacted by telephone between 8am and 8pm each day on 07715 005953 or 07798 753720. You can also call 0161 2334321. I understand the urgency of many of my client’s circumstances, and so continue to make myself available for service.

Otherwise, I would like to thank you for your business in 2017, and wish you all a merry Christmas, and the very best for the new year.

]]>4908Regulating the Teaching Professionhttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/regulating-teaching-profession/
Mon, 20 Nov 2017 11:21:45 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4789Teachers can face allegations of many offences – ranging from breach of trust to allegations of sexual offences. In our new guide “Regulating the Teaching Profession” , our Stuart Sutton looks at how the teaching profession is regulated and the key steps involved in any investigation. It is important to have access to high quality,... Read more »

]]>Teachers can face allegations of many offences – ranging from breach of trust to allegations of sexual offences. In our new guide “Regulating the Teaching Profession” , our Stuart Sutton looks at how the teaching profession is regulated and the key steps involved in any investigation. It is important to have access to high quality, knowledgeable legal advice throughout any regulatory procedure. At Tuckers Solicitors, we have extensive experience in this field and are here to guide you through the process.

]]>4789Tuckers client acquitted after 50 day trialhttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/nm-acquitted-50-day-trial/
Tue, 22 Aug 2017 09:32:08 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4620Manchester Partner Leigh Wright, along with senior Caseworker Justine Fairfield and instructed Counsel Suhkdev Garcha successfully secured the acquittal of NM after more than 50 days of trial at Birmingham Crown Court. Mr M was charged as part of a conspiracy with intent to supply class A,B and C drugs. The prosecution believed he was involved in the organisation... Read more »

]]>Manchester Partner Leigh Wright, along with senior Caseworker Justine Fairfield and instructed Counsel Suhkdev Garcha successfully secured the acquittal of NM after more than 50 days of trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

Mr M was charged as part of a conspiracy with intent to supply class A,B and C drugs. The prosecution believed he was involved in the organisation of the sale of contraband on the street, having purchased the drugs from an alleged co-conspirator in the Leicester area.

The allegations centred upon what the prosecution considered conspicuous spending in Ibiza, Dubai and Australia, relying on evidence from social media purporting to show that he had an extravagant lifestyle. However, as a result of the defence team tracing witnesses from across the globe, it was demonstrated that Mr M business dealings were legitimate, resulting in his acquittal after a lengthy trial.

Mr M said at the end of his ordeal, “I would to thank both Leigh and Justine at Tuckers solicitors. I have just gone through possibly the most difficult time in my life and from the offset their support was phenomenal… Justine’s professional and honest approach kept my moral high at difficult times during a long case, and Leigh’s legal advice was second to none.”

]]>4620Manslaughter case following “potato row” case ends in acquittalhttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/tragic-manslaughter-following-potato-row-case-ends-acquittal/
Fri, 28 Jul 2017 13:42:01 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4611James Turner (Partner) and Sharon Bailey (Advocate) at Tuckers’ Birmingham office secured the acquittal of client Mark Jennens in a sad case following the death of his mother following a row over potatoes on Christmas Eve. Mr Jennens had acted as the carer for his elderly mother for more than 10 years and she suffered a... Read more »

]]>James Turner (Partner) and Sharon Bailey (Advocate) at Tuckers’ Birmingham office secured the acquittal of client Mark Jennens in a sad case following the death of his mother following a row over potatoes on Christmas Eve.

Mr Jennens had acted as the carer for his elderly mother for more than 10 years and she suffered a fall when he tried to move her from the table after a row over the dinner table. Hazel Jennens suffered an injury to her hip in the fall, but Mr Jennens was subsequently charged with manslaughter when the prosecution deemed that the fall was a significant factor in the bronchopneumonia, which Mrs Jennens contracted in hospital and caused her death. Mr Jennens was charged with her manslaughter.

The court had heard that for more than ten years Mr Jennens had cared for his mother who suffered from lung cancer and emphysema. He had suffered a breakdown in early 2015 and sought help from social services to care for Mrs Jennens, who he said was a ‘difficult’ woman who could be ‘evil’ towards him, but she had refused external support.

Sharon Bailey successfully argued there had been a ‘break in the chain of causation’ when Mrs Jennens was incorrectly administered Salbutamol in hospital two days before she died. The jury took less than an hour and a half to acquit Mr Jennens.

]]>4611Police failures in disclosure of evidence criticised in reviewhttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/police-failures-disclosure-evidence-criticised-review/
Tue, 18 Jul 2017 09:40:59 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4605Tuckers’ Partner, Richard Atkinson, is one of those quoted in the national media today, commenting on a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. The report found that it was rare for police officers to tell prosecutors about evidence that could undermine their case or assist the accused’s – known in legal... Read more »

]]>Tuckers’ Partner, Richard Atkinson, is one of those quoted in the national media today, commenting on a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. The report found that it was rare for police officers to tell prosecutors about evidence that could undermine their case or assist the accused’s – known in legal terms as unused material.

Their recording of sensitive and non-sensitive evidence was “routinely poor”, it said, adding that prosecutors in turn were failing to challenge the poor recording of material and carry out their duty to consider what to hand over to the defence throughout a case.

Mr Atkinson told the Independent newspaper that it was “not at all uncommon in [his] experience or in colleagues’ experience for disclosure to not be properly addressed until the door of the court room”.

Lawyers welcomed the new report as a first attempt to fix the root cause of the problem, which can leave those snared in the criminal justice system at risk of miscarriages of justice through being wrongly convicted, but also which puts the public at risk by failing to convict those who have committed a serious criminal offence.

]]>4605Tuckers overturns IPP sentencehttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/tuckers-overturn-ipp-sentence/
Fri, 07 Jul 2017 14:49:50 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4591Shelley Peynado-Clarke of Tuckers Prison Law team, along with Phililip Haworth of 33 Bedford Row Chambers, successfully appealed and overturned the indeterminate IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentence handed down to Zak Ouhidosse 11 years ago. Mr Ouhidosse was convicted of two burglaries in 2005 and one attempted burglary imprisonment for public protection with a... Read more »

]]>Shelley Peynado-Clarke of Tuckers Prison Law team, along with Phililip Haworth of 33 Bedford Row Chambers, successfully appealed and overturned the indeterminate IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentence handed down to Zak Ouhidosse 11 years ago.

Mr Ouhidosse was convicted of two burglaries in 2005 and one attempted burglary imprisonment for public protection with a minimum term of 3 months and 22 days in respect of one count of attempted robbery. The tariff expired on 4 February 2007. However Mr Ouhidosse was only released from prison in 12 December 2011, having served over six years in prison. He served a further period of imprisonment in 2014 – 2015, having been found to have breached his licence conditions on release from prison.

Mr Ouhidosse instructed Tuckers to appeal against the lawfulness of his indeterminate sentence. The Court agreed with the submission that the ‘dangerousness’ aspect of handing down an IPP sentence had not being properly explored and applied in Mr Ouhidosse’s case. The Court therefore quashed the IPP sentence and handed down a determinate sentence of 3 years – all of which, including any period on licence, had been served.

The case demonstrates a welcome change in approach by the Courts, previously too willing to sentence people to indeterminate sentences, to now being prepared to strike down sentences handed down where the genuine need to impose an IPP had not been properly considered at sentencing.

]]>4591Alexa Collier not guilty of causing GBH to ex-girlfriendhttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/alexa-collier-not-guilty-causing-gbh-ex-girlfriend/
Thu, 22 Jun 2017 12:35:50 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4579Jill Eastwood and Iain Johnstone, Solicitor Advocate, successful secured the acquittal of Alexa Collier, a teacher, who was alleged to have broken the jaw of her ex-girlfriend in a scuffle that ensued when her former partner, Nicola Lees, attended at the Collier family home with the intention of revealing Ms Collier’s sexuality to her parents.... Read more »

]]>Jill Eastwood and Iain Johnstone, Solicitor Advocate, successful secured the acquittal of Alexa Collier, a teacher, who was alleged to have broken the jaw of her ex-girlfriend in a scuffle that ensued when her former partner, Nicola Lees, attended at the Collier family home with the intention of revealing Ms Collier’s sexuality to her parents.

In a high profile case, which received extensive national media coverage, Ms Collier was acquitted of causing grievous bodily harm. The jury accepted the account of Ms Collier that it was Ms Lees who had been the aggressor and that she had been acting in self-defence.

In a statement, Ms Collier said “I am glad that justice has now been done and the jury were able to see this matter for what it was. I thank them for bringing the not guilty verdict that they did. After two years of suffering, during which I lost my job due to the false allegations, both myself and my family suffered great mental anguish. We can now put this behind us and I can get my life back on track. I just want to thank my family and friends for their continued support. Finally, I want to thank Jill Eastwood and Iain Johnstone from Tuckers Solicitors for all their hard work, helping me get through this experience and getting me the verdict I deserve.”

]]>4579The digital revolution meets Dad’s Armyhttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/digital-revolution-meets-dads-army/
Wed, 26 Apr 2017 08:58:29 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4487As the Criminal Justice System (and wider court system) undergoes a digital transformation – in this article published in the Solicitors’ Journal, Tuckers Practice Director, Adam Makepeace, argues that implementation is unlikely to be successful unless there is investment in recruiting people into criminal defence work and in training them how to best use new... Read more »

]]>As the Criminal Justice System (and wider court system) undergoes a digital transformation – in this article published in the Solicitors’ Journal, Tuckers Practice Director, Adam Makepeace, argues that implementation is unlikely to be successful unless there is investment in recruiting people into criminal defence work and in training them how to best use new digital systems.

]]>4487Barry Tucker/Simon Holmes – Invoice – Phishing Scamhttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/barry-tucker-invoice-phishing-scam/
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 21:13:58 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4484As of around 3.30pm on Friday 21 April 2017, we became aware that there was an email being circulated that purported to send an invoice for payment, using the name of Barry Tucker and displaying details of our Manchester office. Around 10am on Tuesday 25 April 2017, we became aware of a similar email,... Read more »

]]>As of around 3.30pm on Friday 21 April 2017, we became aware that there was an email being circulated that purported to send an invoice for payment, using the name of Barry Tucker and displaying details of our Manchester office. Around 10am on Tuesday 25 April 2017, we became aware of a similar email, using the name of Simon Holmes and using details of our Manchester office.

These are NOT a genuine emaisl from Tuckers.

We have reported this fraud to the relevant authorities. If you receive one of these emails please:-

Do NOT click any link within the email or enter any password requested

]]>4484Big Firms Group respond to LGFS consultationhttps://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/case/big-firms-group-respond-lgfs-consultation/
Wed, 29 Mar 2017 11:29:16 +0000http://www.tuckerssolicitors.com/?post_type=case&p=4467In response to the government’s consultation on further cuts to the rates of pay paid for criminal defence work, the Big Firms’ Group have submitted a response with a message to the Ministry of Justice that “No More Cuts” can be shouldered by the criminal defence community. The criminal justice system as a whole... Read more »

]]>In response to the government’s consultation on further cuts to the rates of pay paid for criminal defence work, the Big Firms’ Group have submitted a response with a message to the Ministry of Justice that “No More Cuts” can be shouldered by the criminal defence community. The criminal justice system as a whole is crumbling under the weight of austerity since 2010 – but the criminal defence sector was not, in any event, a beneficiary of pre-austerity largess. The freeze in rates since 1998 is a real term cut of around 40% in 20 years as a result of inflation in that period – a period which has also seen a number of cuts to headline rates of pay as well.

The MoJ always prefaces its consultations with rhetoric regarding the UK justice system being the envy of the world. There are many very good reasons to have been proud of our criminal justice system, but the foundations on which it rests are being eroded beyond the point of sustainability. This is short sighted in the context of the importance of the criminal justice system to the fabric of our democratic society – but also from the point of view that this is likely to be an expensive mistake in the longer term. Read the BFG Consultation response at BFG Consultation response – Final